DIJON, France — A daring prison escape in eastern France has cast a harsh spotlight on the nation’s severe prison overcrowding problem. Two inmates successfully broke out of Dijon Correctional Facility in the predawn hours of Thursday using an improvised method reminiscent of classic prison films, according to judicial authorities.
Prosecutor Olivier Caracotch confirmed that the fugitives—a 19-year-old awaiting trial for attempted murder and a 32-year-old convicted of domestic violence—had sawed through their cell bars using manual blades before descending to freedom with knotted bed sheets. The escape was discovered during routine guard checks shortly before dawn.
The incident underscores systemic failures within France’s penal system, which suffers from some of Europe’s worst overcrowding conditions. Dijon’s aging facility, originally constructed in 1853, currently houses 311 inmates in a space designed for 180—a occupancy rate exceeding 170%.
Ahmed Saih, a union representative for prison officers, revealed that staff had repeatedly warned administration about security vulnerabilities after previous discoveries of saw blades within the prison. “We’ve been warning about the risk of a jail break for months,” Saih stated, demanding increased staffing and modern security equipment including saw-resistant bar materials.
The escape follows another recent security breach in Rennes where an inmate fled during an off-site excursion to a planetarium. That fugitive was apprehended Thursday in a traveler community camp near Nantes, prompting Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin to dismiss the prison’s director.
Three prison directors’ unions have launched scathing criticism against Minister Darmanin, accusing his administration of prioritizing new supermax prisons for drug traffickers and terrorist suspects while neglecting mainstream correctional facilities. In a joint statement, they condemned the “devotion of all resources of a debt-ridden state” to high-security facilities at the expense of ordinary prisons.
Firsthand accounts from recently released inmates describe intolerable conditions, with three prisoners frequently sharing cells designed for one—two occupying bunk beds while a third sleeps on the floor. The justice ministry acknowledges the infrastructure crisis but has yet to announce concrete measures addressing the systemic overcrowding highlighted by these security failures.